I want to continue in the UPA, but with respect: Mamata Banerjee to NDTV

New Delhi:  Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee today met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh amid reports that she was allegedly upset with the latter expressing regret over the departure of Dinesh Trivedi as the Railways Minister.

While insisting that her party abstained from voting on the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) instead of what is being dubbed as a walkout, in an exclusive interview to NDTV's Group Editor Barkha Dutt, Ms Banerjee  also made it clear that there can be no compromise on the anti-terror body in its current form.

The Trinamool Chief  said that she shares a good relationship with Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

Here are the highlights of her interview:
I do not think this (Dinesh Trivedi's resignation) is an issue for me.I just came because for 9 months I did not get the time.I have decided whenever Parliament is on I will come down for a day or two.Issue with Congress not a matter of ego; allies must get repect.
I think sometimes the Delhi people do not understand local issues, so there should be some mechanism to sort this out.I have a good relation with Soniaji. The Prime Minister is also a nice man. Maybe, some communication gap.Congress party has its manifesto; we have our manifesto. There are some issues like FDI, where we will take a stand.We are in favour of Lokpal, but when it was discussed they included the Lokayukta. They should not have included Lokayutka.Some issues are created necessarily.
There is a tendency to bulldoze the state governments.Like NCTC, if you want to work against a terrorist, you have to work together. You have to take the state governments into confidence.On NCTC, we thought it was better to abstain. If we voted against the government, it would not look nice; if we voted for then we weould go against the federal structure.It should not have been included in the President's address.We cannot compromise on some issues.Law and order is a state issue; I do not care if it is a Congress state or a BJP state.Partial rollback is the prerogative of the Rail Minister.
On Rail budget, it was not necessary to hike fares and freight rates together.It is not about Rajdhani class; you have to leave 3-tier and sleeper for the common people; these 2-3 areas  we have to think over.Its customary for the PM to praise the budget.Dinesh Trivedi is with us. In today's meeting also, he said he wants to continue in the party.Some people may have played a foul role, I do not want to comment on that.From our side, we are very transparent, we are a very pro-people party.I cannot speak good English, that is why you cannot bulldoze me everyday. I consider speaking good English not enough to belong to the 'elite' class.There are critics; let them be, they cannot fight me politically.Do not consider us like any other political party; we come from the grassroots.We were not born with a golden spoon; our papas were not in politics.
I want to continue with respect in the UPA.
We are insulted more than we are respected.
Whenever I raise an issue, they (the bigger parties) say we are blackmailing.I am happy if I get izzat from  the people. I believe in Ma, Maati ManushRespect means...if I have an issue, how can I compromise on it?Sometimes I feel hurt when I am misunderstood.We are not beggars; we have held our heads high. We are facing the legacy of the Left Front rule of 35 years. We are facing economic problems.Instead of help, they (Union Government) are taking away Rs 22000 crore. My income is Rs 21000 crore.
We are not asking for money; we need a 3-year moratorium. Why is the government bulldozing us?
It is not a one-party government. I want to continue with the UPA but with respect.In alliance politics, if you trust you must trust 100%.

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Mamata Banerjee has her way, PM to sack Dinesh Trivedi: Sources

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Mamata Banerjee to attend swearing-in ceremonies of Punjab and UP chief ministers

Kolkata:  In what might be seen as a snub to the Congress, West Bengal Chief Minister and the UPA's most troublesome ally at the Centre, Mamata Banerjee, will attend the swearing-in ceremonies of the chief ministers of Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. Reports earlier on Saturday suggested that Mamata would decline the invitation from Akali Dal to attend Parkash Singh Badal's swearing in on March 14.
"Just learnt that Mamatadi will be going to both Lucknow & Chandigarh for the CM swearing in ceremonies (sic)," tweeted Trinamool Congress (TMC) spokesperson Derek O'Brien on Saturday night.
In Punjab, the Akalis have been voted back to power with their partner, the BJP.  The Congress had counted on winning the state. Ms Banerjee's presence at the ceremony next week will be seen as an indication of her increasingly warm relations with Congress rivals like Naveen Patnaik of Odisha. Ms Banerjee has been a loud voice in a campaign by Chief Ministers who say the Centre is a serial offender of the principles of federalism.
Before Mamata's u-turn on her decision to skip the Akali Dal's invitation, earlier on Saturday, in no small measure of relief for the Congress, she said "she is not a traitor" and has no plans to create the need for mid-term elections. Ms Banerjee's recent decisions have led to unhappy confrontations with the UPA, of which she is an indispensable member.
Meanwhile, Mr Badal's son, Sukhbir Singh Badal, has explained that his invite to Ms Banerjee has "nothing to do with wooing." "We have invited Chief Ministers from several states because of personal relations Mr Parkash Singh Badal shares with them," he added.
While Congress leader Rashid Alvi declined to comment on the invite extended to Ms Banerjee, Congress General Secretary Shakeel Ahmed, who met Ms Banerjee on Saturday, sought to play down the matter, "Invitation extended to Mamata Banerjee for the swearing-in ceremony should not be seen as a political gesture," he said.
The BJP's Sushma Swaraj said after the recent state elections in Punjab and UP that mid-term polls are likely. Dinesh Trivedi, cabinet minister from Ms Banerjee's party, said this week that he believes his party may prefer mid-term polls to capitalize on the voter preference that gave Ms Banerjee a stunning verdict two years ago. He later said that was his personal view and Ms Banerjee has said in Kolkata that all MPs from her party have been alerted not to share private opinions.
The elections in Punjab and UP have demonstrated the political might of regional parties who their states identify with. Both national parties- the BJP and the Congress-were marginalised. In Punjab, the BJP won fewer seats than it had in the last state elections. It was saved by the strong numbers if its collaborator, the Akalis, with who it now returns to power.
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Parkash Singh Badal invites Mamata Banerjee to his swearing-in ceremony

Chandigarh:  Shiromani Akali Dal's (SAD) Parkash Singh Badal, who will take oath as the Chief Minister of Punjab for a fifth time on March 14, has invited West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to attend the swearing in ceremony.
"Badal telephoned Banerjee today and invited her to attend his swearing-in as chief minister at Chandigarh," state secretariat sources in Kolkata said.
Mr Badal, who is 84, will continue as chief minister. For the first time in the last forty years, Punjab has given a second consecutive term to a party in power. The alliance of the SAD and the BJP will return to office with 68 of the 117 seats. The Congress, which had hoped that the anti-incumbency habit in the state would push it into government, was left with 46 seats.
After winning the elections on Tuesday, Mr Badala said he owed the win to his 50-year-old son, Sukhbir, who was made party president in 2008 and deputy chief minister in 2009. That appointment left the Badals wide open to allegations of nepotism. It wasn't just outsiders who took aim. The chief minister's nephew, Manpreet, who was Finance Minister, gathered his supporters and quit the Akali Dal. He set up the People's Party of Punjab (PPP); the party failed to win a single seat, and Manpreet lost both the constituencies he contested, one of which he has won four times in the past. "Manpreet has committed a Himalayan blunder and political suicide," his estranged uncle said after results were declared. Manpreet's father, Gurudas, lost his deposit in his election.
The Akalis' victory is being attributed to the party's focus on development. The BJP has done worse in these elections than last time - it has got 12 seats. But the Akalis say this does not make their partner a liability. "Last time, they won 19 of the 23 seats they were assigned," said Naresh Gujral, Rajya Sabha MP. "They could not have repeated that performance." 
The Badals' appeal was also undented by the influential religious sect Dera Sacha Sauda lending its support to the Congress.
The Congress candidate for chief minister, Captain Amarinder Singh, had predicted his party would defeat the Akalis. He won his seat, but his son, Raninder Singh, lost his constituency.

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